Going prehistoric at the T-Rex Cafe

After a couple of long days on the road, Punky and I continued our honeymoon road trip with a few days of family fun, reuniting with The Kiddo and her grandparents at Walt Disney World’s Port Orleans Resort.  I was reluctant to blog about our time at Disney because, quite frankly, what perspective could I add that hasn’t already been given by someone else.  But I had to make an exception for where we had dinner reservations on the first night we were there -- the T-Rex Cafe in Disney Springs.

Among all things Disney in the Orlando area, Disney Springs doesn’t require an admission.  It does, however, require patience to wade your way through the masses of people who flock to this Disney-fied complex of restaurants, bars, shops and entertainment venues.  

T-Rex just happens to reside in the middle of all of this.  That said, there’s practically no way you’re going to pass it without noticing it.

As it turns out, your reservation basically determines which line you wait in, as the place always seems to be packed.  Even when we exited around 8:30 p.m., people were still in line for 30 minute waiting times.  

Fortunately, for someone like The Kiddo, the experience is worth the wait.  Once you get inside, you’ll find seating (all full, of course) in a variety of prehistoric settings, all with lively (and loud) animatronics doing their thing to entertain you.    

This guy was not a happy camper.

Perhaps the best way to describe the environment is to think of it as a Rainforest Cafe with angry dinosaurs.  

This view might provide a little more perspective regarding how big some of these creatures are.  You really can’t help but be impressed by the show they put on.  

On the other hand, it’s practically impossible to have a dinner conversation in T-Rex.  We tried and still largely failed, even though we may have been seated in the “quietest” section “under the sea.”

Still, the aquariums surrounding us were pretty cool.

But not as cool as the Octopus Bar, as far as I was concerned.  Still, I behaved and resisted the temptation to try one of the restaurant’s signature drinks.  

With non-stop traffic and long waits to get in, our dinners were predictably slow to arrive.  However, our waiter kept us posted frequently, and as a result we never felt forgotten.  Service seems to shine with anything associated with Disney.  The wait also helped us all develop a prehistoric sized appetite.  When the nightly special arrived for me, I was more than ready to dig in.

And I have to admit, I was expecting the food to be rather generic in taste and flavor, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The steak portion of my surf and turf trio was cooked to perfection and swimming in butter to make it all the more juicy.  The shrimp skewer on a bed of rice was equally delicious, with the shrimp grilled and seasoned just right.  But the cheesy baked scallops were the star of the dinner plate.  I felt fortunate the special was eligible for the meal plan Punky had set up for our trip so long ago.  It was easily one of the best meals I had on our entire honeymoon.

Of course, everything is a show at a place like this, and dessert is no exception.  As full as everyone was, we decided to go all in and get T-Rex’s signature Chocolate Extinction -- a dessert designed to feed four (or perhaps one chocolate-loving raptor).  There was plenty of chocolate fudge cake and ice cream to go around, and the dry ice “volcano” -- although a little cheesy -- was a fun centerpiece.

T-Rex Cafe is not a place I’d recommend for everyday dining or for someone just “passing through,” but it’s a fun place to dine with a group or for a special occasion.  Expect crowds, noise and food that’s much better than you might expect.  It’s one of several tempting options at the Disney Springs complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.    

And I highly recommend it as a place to treat your own Disney princess.